Chapter 348: Chapter 347: What Do You Mean You Gave His Robe to Cui Yun!
The light was glaring, and the girl languidly squinted her eyes into a slit.
"Have you just returned from the palace?"
Cui Yun sat down on a round stool beside her, his posture still impeccably noble. Yet, the look he gave the girl was intriguingly patient.
"Hmm."
After a moment’s thought, he added.
"This morning’s court assembly started with the Imperial Censor Shu leading the criticism of the Governor Mansion due to the suicide of Lady Yan."
Shen Hua straightened up upon hearing this.
"How so?"
"Commander Yan and Duke Wei’s faces must be especially sullen, right?"
She had been pondering this matter early in the morning.
"I reckon that the court is divided into four factions, with one faction supporting the marriage alliance between the two families and spouting self-righteous sage logic. Ultimately, marriages are often blind, and how could they let outside gossip prevent it? Such opinions could only come from the Crown Prince Faction."
Knowing her concern with this matter and being aware of the girl’s intelligence, Cui Yun was yet to discover she held such views.
"Exactly."
Shen Hua continued, "The second faction would naturally be the Fourth Prince Faction, who would spare no effort to exacerbate the situation through this incident. These people, of course, are in direct opposition to the first faction."
Cui Yun showed his agreement. He rarely looked serious.
"Go on."
"The third faction is as you just mentioned, the Imperial Censorate."
Saying this, she fixed her beautiful, gleaming black eyes on Cui Yun: "The last kind, that would be your kind."
Cui Yun found it amusing to hear.
"Which kind am I?"
"Those who say nothing, just stand aside and watch that group of people tear into each other. The watchers of the drama."
Shen Hua rather envied Cui Yun.
"That scene must have been very interesting; I would like to see it too. Tell me about it."
Cui Yun slightly lowered his eyes.
What felt like a tedious court session seemed to come alive with the girl’s few casual remarks.
"Civil servants argued vehemently, while military generals frowned fiercely, holding back only because the emperor was present, otherwise it might have come to blows at any disagreement."
The girl, unfamiliar with most people in the official circles, listened as Cui Yun mentioned those she knew.
"Duke does not utter a word, always maintaining his wise self-preservation."
"Prince Gong, from time to time, would stoke the fire."
Now pondering how well Imperial Censor Shu criticized, now thinking the Fourth Prince Faction had valid points, shortly after agreeing with the Crown Prince Faction’s views. He had a knack for manipulating the atmosphere.
Cui Yun had seen through this.
Ji Huo’s talent for causing trouble could be inherited, but he wasn’t like his father; good at inciting conflicts but lacking the ability to extinguish them cleanly.
Shen Hua listened attentively.
Under the light, the skin of the girl was flawless, even luminously pale.
Moving closer, Cui Yun could smell her sweet fragrance, indescribably pleasant.
Despite seeing her daily, Cui Yun felt that Shen Hua was different every day.
There was always a slight change.
Maybe it was the makeup, the attire. Maybe, as her body recovered, her appearance and posture were gradually unfolding.
"Seeing the emperor enraged, Commander Yan and Duke Wei both knelt on the ground, not daring to rise. Just saying that these trivial matters worried the emperor, deserving death."
Shen Hua listened with great interest.
"Did they die?"
She gleaned the answer from Cui Yun’s expression. The girl scoffed coldly once more.
"On one hand, they say they deserve to die; on the other, they don’t just hit their heads against a column. Turns out they’re just all talk, and pretty unreliable. The atmosphere was there, why not rush to see King Yan."
Shen Hua: "What a pity."
The man’s expression was gentle, and seeing the girl holding a book of embroidery techniques, he couldn’t help but ask, "How is the robe coming along?"
He wouldn’t have remembered if he didn’t mention it.
"It has been finished a while ago."
She got up from the couch and went into the inner room. Soon, she came out holding the finished robe.
The elegantly lined ivory white robe was neatly folded.
Shen Hua actually didn’t put much effort into it, nor did she specifically showcase her embroidery skills. But the embroidery made by her hands was naturally extraordinary.
It only took a few days to complete.
Xie Xun arrived at this time, and before he even entered the yard, he heard a familiar soft female voice inside.
"I was originally planning to embroider an orchid pattern for brother, but since I gave the robe to you, using orchids seemed somewhat inappropriate, so I changed to bamboo instead."
The technique for embroidering bamboo is simpler than that for orchids, but it also requires attention to detail. It requires a slanting twist needle for the stem, and a qiang needle for the leaves. One stitch covers another, one stitch levels another, and the dark threads overlap the light threads...
Bamboo symbolizes refined gentlemen, and also... resilience.
Cui Yun, with his elegant and noble appearance, was seen as a gentleman by the world. Although it was an illusion, it was somewhat fitting if one did not scrutinize too closely.
Xie Xun: ???
What does it mean to give Cui Yun the robe meant for him!
His brow furrowed, about immediately he strode toward the inner room, only to see Xiaoqi coming out with a shallow smile.
"Heir Xie."
Xie Xun stared intently into the room.
She watched the girl approach Cui Yun, handing him the robe and leaning in closer as she did so.
Her eyes bright and sparkling, her fair little hand deftly caught hold of Cui Yun’s robe hem, as she expectantly spoke to him.
Xie Xun felt somewhat uneasy.
His face even darkened a bit.
He shifted his gaze away with difficulty, his tone stiff and awkward: "Come with me."
Xiaoqi: "Yes."
Cui Yun had long noticed Xie Xun lingering outside, but he hadn’t distracted himself with this awareness.
Shen Hua: "How is it?"
The girl looked up, her lips slightly curved: "I plan to gather those dismissed embroidery ladies together. It’s not a hard task."
"A fine piece of embroidery also takes several months of work, after arriving in Shengjing I continued to pay their monthly wages as usual, and they haven’t gone out to find other work, mostly idle at home."
But... how could they sit idle? Embroidery had long become a part of their lives. They always couldn’t help but pick up needle and thread.
"During this time, at home after receiving my letter, I hired a few, produced thirteen small pieces, the larger ones are still unfinished. Even rushing with many embroidery ladies, it will take a few more months. Don’t think it too few, the works from these old embroiderers are no ordinary items."
It wasn’t just any random embroidery.
Cui Yun looked down at her hand: "Are you asking me for a favor?"
Shen Hua frowned: "I don’t like hearing that word ’request’ from you."
She justified herself boldly, her face fair: "I ask based on our relation, giving special attention to our Yifeng Hall! I’m not considering other embroidery shops in Shengjing."
Although it would be a betrothal gift, they still haven’t set the engagement formally.
"I also believe that acquiring those embroidery works for Yifeng Hall is not a difficult task."
The girl: "I’m just giving you a heads-up in advance. Remember to inform the shopkeeper, those pieces must be displayed most prominently."
She knew Cui Yun seldom dealt with the matters of First-tier Sky, Yifeng Hall was entirely managed by the shopkeeper.
"Just have the shopkeeper of Yifeng Hall cooperate with me."
Cui Yun had a plan in mind: "What else?"
"Can you just have Juchao Pavilion shut down? I’ve been upset for a long time. They even dared to come and present a torn cloth, claiming it was my Mama’s craftsmanship! How could I tolerate that?"
Cui Yun: "You want me to..."
Shen Hua tapped her fingertip on herself: "A femme fatale."
Then, she pointed slowly towards Cui Yun, indicating her malice: "Using power for personal gain."